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VTL TL-6.5 Reference Series by James Leahy
Introduction The VTL TL-6.5 Reference Series is the companies premium one box designed line stage solution. The dual mono fully balanced design has twin power transformers with an array of two dozen relays controlling the audio signal circuits. The tube component of this line stage comprises of two 12AU7 vacuum tubes that are run by a fully regulated power supply with extensive AC mains filtering. There are four large MOSFET modules that regulate the current supply and ensure computer controlled accuracy in all critical areas. The build quality and engineering superiority of this TL-6.5 is certainly deserving of Reference status. When compared to a similarly priced competitor such as the ARC REF3 the VTL TL-6.5 comfortably embarrasses it's competition in no uncertain terms. When you lift the lid on both units the lack of electrical sophistication of the REF3 is fully evident when directly compared to this unit. Being greeted with only four main circuit boards and a hell of a lot of empty space, you raise the inevitable question of where your money is going. I am pleased to announce that VTL consider the customer's sizable investment more thoughtfully when it comes to their design philosophy and ensure their asking prices reflect an accurate contribution of the cost of construction and development, not an overly inflated telephone number price tag. Another painful reminder of the cheaper construction methods used with the REF3 is to closely examine the quality of the factory remote control that is supplied with each unit. The VTL's remote is machined from a single piece of billet alloy where the REF3 remote is a light plastic design and looks like something you would receive with a $200.00 DVD player. The attention to detail continues with the VTL's classical dual mono design where the left and right channels are physically and visibly separate to ensure complete isolation and zero electrical cross talk interference. There us a integrated computerized turn-on procedure programmed into each TL-6.5. This lasts for 90 seconds and powers up the tube circuit in a two stage relay controlled process to prevent any damage and ensures longer service life. Each individual input level can be set independently to the next which is a huge benefit for customers with many input sources that have a large variance in output levels.
Sonic Evaluations
Having been sent this unit from VTL to review, it was factory fresh and unused. From my testing and VTL's advise this unit required at least one solid week of burn-in time with a signal being fed in and it's output run at maximum before it's factory specified performance level is delivered. Two weeks is a more realistic time frame for burn-in and I can attest that the performance straight out of the box is not as VTL intended for the TL-6.5. Kicking the ball off rolling with Stevie Nicks' - Crystal Visions (Reprise Records - 2007) the TL-6.5 is easily identifiable as very transparent unit. I was not aware of just how transparent it was until I compared it to my other line stages. The detail is what gives this an amazing quality coupled with smoothness from the treble to the lower bass. The high frequencies are very extended but never dry or glaring. The midrange can be directly compared to the REF3's sweet voicing of female vocal singers but with a purer tonal quality and more drive and punch from a deeper image presentation. The bass is what sets the TL-6.5 apart from the REF3 and other tube line stages. The solid performance and impact that this unit delivers is staggering in the lower frequencies. It drives harder, hits faster and just goes lower than most tube designs I have heard on my system. The quality of the bass is both tight and tuneful. The TL-6.5 combines the best of solid state drive and impact with the sweetness and tonal accuracy of vacuum tubes. With other tubed line stages I was often missing that strong presence of a lower bass line but lived with this imbalance because of the God like midrange image and sweetness of soundstage. The TL-6.5 really closes the gap with the performance of the best solid state designs and the beautiful vacuum tube sound we have all come to appreciate. This is a very fast and accurate sounding line stage without any sonic character of it's own that some vacuum tubed designs have been known to introduce and many reviewers/listeners find pleasing because it rectifies basic synergy problems in their loudspeaker amplifier choices. I have found the TL-6.5 gets right into the recorded information on the disc and adds nothing to the final presentation that is not already recorded. It is a brutally honest and revealing unit that can allow the listener to hear their system for how it really is. After extended listening periods and after substantial testing between the two I prefer the sound of the VTL TL-6.5 over the REF3. Before the experiment and VTL sending me this review sample I was sure nothing could touch the high level of performance the REF3 offered, big mistake. I keep both line stages in my listening room at all times to demonstrate first hand to customers the increased level of performance over a REF3 that the VTL TL-6.5 offers for similar price! Come and tell me what you think on who provides the World's ultimate Hi Fidelity line stage. I have found the TL-6.5 to work well with both solid state and vacuum tube amplifiers, not so with the REF3. The character of the sound will not be changed by this unit thus revealing the other links in the signal chain more faithfully. I have found the TL-6.5 along with all other VTL products to benefit greatly from a high quality power chord and Furutech power terminating connectors. The added scope this provides in the wider soundstage is amazing and well worth the small extra cost involved when considering the cost of this unit. The stringed instruments on Crystal Visions are reproduced with this unit in a more open and textured way with thick and voluminous musical content able to be almost touched as it is so well defined from the rhythmic chorus baking tracks. The degree of musical placement is excellent and an area that this unit really excels in it's brilliance. Larger acoustical recordings on Crystal Visions give an open feeling of spaciousness and presence. Due mainly I feel from the TL-6.5's limitless bottom ended dynamics this makes you aware of larger halls, arenas and stages all the more. Basically everything that the recorded area is occupying is what the TL-6.5 reproduces through your loudspeakers. On some cheaper line stages I felt there was not enough acoustical information being feed back to me as a listener about the recorded environment that the performance was performed in. With each area of presentation of the TL-6.5 there is no singular region this unit performers better than another for a resultantly unbalanced presentation. This concept may not sound difficult to engineer but I can assure you from talking to different audio manufacturers much time and effort is being spent of things that the listener does not notice as the things they do. Overall, I am delighted at the performance of this unit and the more I listen to it the more I hear things I never heard before with my previous line stage. The gigantic dynamic range available coupled with the ability of the TL-6.5 to reproduce gradients of finer detail while pushing the envelope at high level makes this the perfect Reference grade combination to your power amplifiers of choice. You do not want the soundstage's character to change as the volume increases or decreases. This gives full control over the depth of each musical layer without being too forward in it's presentation. Never dark or muffled in nature there is no glare or over exerted upper midrange or top-end shown with my tested source material.
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